Chang'e-6 is part of China's Chang'e moon exploration program, aiming to put a person on the moon before 2030.
China's Chang'e-6 mission made a historic soft landing on the far side of the moon on June 1, 2024.
Communication support provided by Queqiao-2 relay satellite from Earth.
Expected to bring unique and scientifically valuable lunar samples to Earth for analysis.
Mission targeted southern portion of Apollo crater within South Pole-Aitken Basin.
Mission will gather up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground material using mechanical arm and drill.
U.S. also plans to land astronauts on the moon again by 2026.
China's Chang'e-6 mission made a successful soft landing on the far side of the moon on June 1, 2024, marking China's fourth lunar landing and third lunar landing in 2024. The lander targeted a southern portion of Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the lunar far side. The mission is expected to bring unique and scientifically valuable lunar samples to Earth for analysis.
Chang'e-6 is part of China's Chang'e moon exploration program, which aims to put a person on the moon before 2030. The U.S., as the current space exploration leader, also plans to land astronauts on the moon again for the first time since the 1960s, targeting a date of 2026.
The Chang'e-6 lander will gather up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground material using a mechanical arm and a drill. The collected samples will be sent back to Earth in a re-entry capsule, which is expected to return around June 25.
The landing site, within the South Pole-Aitken Basin, is significant as it is the largest impact basin on the moon and has been identified as a potential area of volcanic activity. The Queqiao-2 relay satellite has been providing communication support for the mission from Earth.
The successful landing marks a major milestone in China's space program and adds to its growing list of achievements, including putting its own space station in orbit.
China's Chang'e-6 mission lander successfully landed on the far side of the moon to collect unique lunar samples.
The landing occurred at 6:23 p.m. Eastern June 1 (2223 UTC) targeting a southern portion of Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the lunar far side.
Chang'e-6 is China's fourth successful lunar landing from four attempts and the third lunar landing in 2024.
Samples are expected to be sent into lunar orbit within around 48 hours.
The mission is also using support from the Queqiao-2 relay satellite for communication with Earth.
Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday
Landing module touched down in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin
Mission is part of China’s Chang’e moon exploration program, named after a Chinese moon goddess
China aims to put a person on the moon before 2030
America plans to land astronauts on the moon again for the first time since the 1960s, target date is now 2026
China’s lander will gather up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground material
Ascender atop the lander will take samples back to orbiting module
Re-entry capsule due to return to Earth in Inner Mongolia region about June 25
Accuracy
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No formal fallacies found. Some informal fallacies and inflammatory rhetoric present. Dichotomous depictions are used to contrast the US and China's space programs.
. . . part of a growing rivalry with the U.S. — still the leader in space exploration — and others, including Japan and India.
The emerging global power aims to put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the United States to do so.
U.S. efforts to use private sector rockets to launch spacecraft have been repeatedly delayed.
